The Night Our Bodies Collided
by Loveandcoffeeandsimplicities
Summary: Betty Cooper and Veronica Lodge have only known misery at the hands of one man: Malachi. What happens when Jughead Jones, Archie Andrews, and the rest of the Serpents free the women from their prison? Will they know what it means to love? Bughead. I do not own the comics or show.
1. Chapter 1

Jughead stared around at the house. It was in absolute shambles. But, he reasoned with himself, of course it would be after the raid he and Archie had just done on it with their other men. He had just finished watching Archie carry an unconscious brunette to their van, body slumped in his arms. Jughead's heart was heavy over the fact that there had been so much fear in her eyes but what the girl, (Veronica Lodge, he thinks is what Archie had called her), didn't know was the fact that him and his team of Serpents were getting them out of a shitty situation. Veronica hadn't wanted to go down without putting up a fight and it was only at the hands of the tranquilizer did she finally go down. Now, Jughead had to finish his end of the job and find the blonde, Betty Cooper.

As he hurried through the quiet house, ears peeled for any sort of noise, he knew how terrified the poor girl must be. To have been eating dinner with her best friend one minute to their home being raided the next. By strangers in leather jackets no less. As his feet carried him forward silently, searching room to room, he thought about where he would hide if he was the one being attacked. Then he remembered their basement and made his way there. Once he was in the basement, he shined his flashlight along all corners of the room, searching for the blonde. Finding her huddled in the corner, tears streaking down her face, broke his heart. He didn't want to be the one to put the fear in anyone, let alone innocent people.

"Hey, it's okay, Betty," he said softly. "I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here to help."

"Stay away from me," Betty begged, voice quivering. "Where's Ronnie?"

"She's with Archie. She's safe. Let me get you to safety, too," he pleaded, holding out a hand to her invitingly. Betty shook her head, shrinking in on herself.

"No, no. Malachi will be so mad," she whispered. "You don't know what you've done!"

Jughead took another cautious, calculated step forward, holding his hands up. "He won't know by the time he gets back, but we've got to go, now." Jughead watched as Betty's eyes darted around the basement wildly, realizing she was searching for a way past him. He couldn't leave her behind. That's not what the Serpents were about. Just then, Betty seemed to lose what little composure she had left and darted forward, fists slamming into his chest.

"Bring Ronnie back!" Betty screamed, pounding relentlessly against his chest. "Bring her back right now and leave before Malachi does something stupid!"

This wasn't exactly the way Jughead wanted to help Betty, but it was better than the alternative of her not coming with him. He wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her flush against his chest as he uncapped a syringe with his teeth.

"Betty, I'm really sorry that I have to do this, but we need to go now. It'll only pinch for a moment," he whispered, hating himself for having to resort to sedating her. Betty's eyes widened once she saw the needle and she clawed viciously at his arms, but he held on with a tenacious grip.

"Shh, it's okay," he whispered soothingly, before injecting the liquid into her arm. She stared at him in shock before slumping in his arms and he held her up, talking to her gently. "Just relax and go to sleep. You'll be somewhere safer when you wake up and far away from Malachi."

The last thing he heard from her was a quiet sob before she succumbed to the sedative and went completely lax in his arms. He sighed as he looked her. There were numerous bruises covering her arms and shoulders; her wrist was swollen to twice it's normal size and he knew he'd need Ethel to look over both her and Ronnie when they were brought back to Serpent's headquarters. Jughead carefully lifted Betty into his arms and made his way out of the home, running towards the van that Archie and the other guys were in. Once inside, he sat down with Betty in his lap. For some reason, laying her on the dirty floor of the van seemed disrespectful and he was certain the small blonde had seen enough disrespect to last her a lifetime.

"Let's get out of here before Malachi gets home," Jughead said, nodding at Sweet Pea. Pea put the van into drive and soon they were headed down the street and away from what was undoubtedly pure hell for the two women in their van. He looked over at Archie, watching as his redhead brother looked down at the brunette.

"She seemed terrified of me, man," he said quietly, eyes closing. Jughead nodded. That was always the hardest part. To get the victims out of their situations even though they had been brainwashed into thinking they were living healthy lives.

"So did Betty," Jughead sighed, looking at the blonde in his arms. It was then that he noticed her hair was matted with blood and gently pushed the blonde strands off her forehead to spot a sizable gash in her forehead.

"Mother fucker," he fumed, cursing Malachi, the only person capable of this. "Fangs go ahead and call Ethel and tell her we need her to be ready for us. Our victims have injuries."

The man nodded and quickly called their team's doctor, giving her the heads up on what to expect as Pea continued driving down the street. Betty rolled over just then and Jughead's eyes dropped back down to her, watching her carefully for any signs that she was coming to. The sedative he gave her was somewhat strong and still seemed to be working so he didn't put much worry on the fact that she was going to start fighting them in the van. Besides, his only concern was to get her and Veronica both the fuck away from the man who had caused so much harm to his beloved town.

**Author's note: New project. Yeah, what a surprise. Would love feedback. **


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey, Jug, she looks warm." It was Archie's voice who brought Jughead away from his thoughts on how to stop Malachi and back to the present moment. He looked at his friend for a moment before following his line of sight to Betty, who was still unconscious in his lap. Frowning, he nodded.

"You're right," he said quietly, feeling her forehead. "Shit, she's burning up."

Archie frowned as he shifted Veronica around so he could lean over Betty and see her more clearly. "Do you think she has an infection of some sort? From the cut on her forehead?"

"No clue," Jughead muttered, staring down at the blonde in his arms. Her cheeks were flushed, and he knew, without a doubt, that if her eyes were open, they'd be bright. "Pea, step on it. We need to get to headquarters as soon as possible."

Sweet Pea nodded and floored the gas, weaving in and out of the traffic on the streets of the town. Jughead noticed Betty's sweater was slipping off her shoulder and quickly pulled it back up in the hopes she'd get some type of warmth back in her system. He didn't take his eyes off her once as they drove to their compound, sighing in relief when Sweet Pea parked the van. Scooping Betty into his arms, he tried to not notice how hot she was with dread and wondered how he didn't notice before, before making his way out of the van, turning to call over his shoulder to Archie that he needed Veronica to be checked over by Ethel, too.

Once inside of their building, he spotted Ethel and his dad waiting off to the side, and hurried to them, relief swarming his veins.

"Thank God, Jug," F.P. Jones sighed in relief as his eyes fell on the woman in his son's arms. "Shit, is she alright?"

Jughead shook his head, jaw clenched as he walked around his dad. "Malachi, the fucker, cut her on the forehead and we think she might have an infection because she's got a fever. Ethel, I need some help, please."

Ethel hurried forward, already taking off the sweater and shirt Betty was wearing and both Jughead and FP averted their eyes to give her some privacy.

"Shit," Ethel breathed, and, despite his best intentions, Jughead looked at them when she uttered that one word.

"What is it, Ethel?" Jughead asked.

"Look at her side," Ethel murmured sadly.

Jughead followed her line of sight and inhaled sharply at the sight that landed before his eyes. Betty's entire left side was black and blue, and he had no problem understanding what broken ribs looked like; after all, he had sustained the same injury once or twice before.

"That fucker," Jughead growled.

"Malachi is a dead man," FP snapped, and Jughead nodded. Too right he was. But right now, they had to focus on Betty and Veronica. Ethel was swabbing at Betty's forehead with a washcloth by the time Archie came in with Veronica and set her down on the table next to them.

"As far as I can tell, she just has a few bruises," Archie said, and Ethel nodded.

"Jug, come here and hold the washcloth against her forehead while I check on the other girl," Ethel said.

Jughead nodded as he moved to Ethel's place. "Their names are Betty and Veronica."

She nodded in understanding and began checking over Veronica as Jughead wiped at Betty's forehead. Ten minutes later, Ethel backed away from Veronica and smiled.

"A few bruises but she'll be in the clear once she wakes up. I'm assuming you sedated her?" Ethel asked.

Archie made a face. "She, uh, didn't want to come willingly."

"They never do," Ethel sighed sadly.

Jughead felt some of the tension loosen at the fact that Veronica seemed to be fine at least physically. They could help work with her mentally; it was Betty they needed to focus on right now.

"Ethel, can we give her a shot of something? Or antibiotics? You have to have something," Jughead asked, and Ethel nodded, hurrying over to a cabinet.

"I've got some antibiotics from my last visit to the hospital last week. These will fight whatever infection she has, and I've also got some painkillers because she undoubtedly will have a concussion," she said, heading back to Jughead and Betty. Just then, Betty started to shift around, mumbling a bit, and she squeezed onto Jughead's hand.

"Ronnie?" Betty whispered, and he traced her knuckles gently.

"She's right next to you, Betty," he said softly. "She's safe; you're both safe."

Much to his surprise, Betty didn't fight him like she had in the house. Perhaps she was too tired to. She simply nodded and held onto his hand, and Jughead assumed she thought she was holding Veronica's hand. He didn't let go while Ethel came to her.

"Betty, hon, I know you're tired and I promise you can sleep in a moment, I just need you take some medication, alright?" Ethel asked gently. Not opening her eyes, Betty nodded and Jughead helped her sit up as Ethel slipped the antibiotics into her mouth, followed down by water. Then, he laid her back down, brushing the hair off her sweaty forehead.

"Get some sleep. You're safe now," he repeated, something he always repeated countless times to the victims he got out of abusive households or relationships. That's what the Serpents were known for and why, Malachi in particular, needed to be brought down. He had two women captive, doing God knows what to them, and they were too scared to leave. Jughead, after seeing his mom die, swore he'd never see someone else die again. And he, and Archie, changed the Serpents into something that was to be proud of and spent their time helping people out of situations they couldn't help themselves out of.

One by one, the Serpents filed out of the room, leaving Jughead, Archie, and Ethel. Archie was watching Veronica, waiting to see if she would wake up, before Jughead clapped his hand on his shoulder.

"I'll tell you when she wakes up, man. I've got to stay down here anyways. You should get some sleep. You too, Ethel," he said, looking at the woman who was like a sister to him. She smiled gently at him.

"I'll be back later to check on them but if their situations change, don't hesitate to come get me" she said, and Jughead nodded at her before she walked up the stairs and into her apartment. He looked at Archie once more, finding him to be staring at Ronnie with a look of torture.

"Arch?" Jughead asked softly, eyes on his brother.

"She seemed absolutely terrified of me when I sedated her," he whispered, and Jughead sighed.

"That's not your fault, Archie. You know that. Think about the hell Malachi put them through. They're traumatized. They're probably scared of any man right now. Betty fought like hell before I had to sedate her, and she wasn't exactly thrilled with me, either. They'll be okay. You know that we'll get them where they need to be mentally and honestly, I'm glad they have each other. We just need to help and let them heal in their own ways," Jughead said firmly.

Archie nodded. "You're right. Need any help watching over them?"

Jughead shook his head. "No, I'm good, man. Go get some sleep."

With that, Archie walked out of the room, leaving Jughead with two women who were most likely going to be scared senseless come the time they woke up. He just hoped the Serpents could help them.

**Author's note: Enjoy! **


	3. Chapter 3

Jughead watched over Betty and Veronica throughout the night, keeping his eyes peeled for any signs of movement from either one of the women. Somewhere around three in the morning, Veronica started to mumble, and he sat up from where he was sitting to reach her.

"Veronica? Can you hear me?" Jughead asked softly, watching her expectantly.

Her eyes scrunched before she opened them, blinking them as she looked around.

"What the fuck?" Veronica asked as her eyes landed on him. She sat up fast, and Jughead reached out a cautious hand to help steady her.

"Take it easy, alright? You've been sleeping for a while," he said quietly. If he had expected her to be a little confused, he had sorely misjudged. Veronica, for all intense and purposes, shoved his hand away from her and flung her legs off the table, an impressive feat given she was just coming to from a sedative.

"Who are you?" Veronica demanded, words slurring a bit. Jughead held his hands up, not unaccustomed to the victims he helped save showing resistance to the Serpents their first couple of nights during freedom.

"I'm Jughead Jones, one of the guys who got you and your friend, Betty, away from Malachi," he said calmly.

"You're fucking insane if you think Malachi won't find you for what you've done," Veronica hissed, voice sounding a bit steadier as she took a step towards him. "And, then when he finds you, he'll find Betty and me, and we'll all have to pay the price for this shitshow you brought us into."

"He's not going to find you, I promise," Jughead insisted firmly, reaching out to grasp her wrist. That was a mistake on his part and he narrowly dodge the blow Veronica aimed at his face as his ducked.

"Don't fucking touch me, crazy," she exclaimed, and Jughead sighed as he gritted his teeth.

"Look, we had to sedate you and Betty because you guys were fighting us. Please don't make me have to do it again," he said, and she narrowed her eyes.

"You fucking sedated us because we wouldn't let you kidnap us willingly?" Veronica demanded, and Jughead rubbed a weary hand over his face. He wondered if Betty would be as difficult to talk to as Veronica. He shook his head.

"If you'll just give me a chance to explain," he began, but just then, a hoarse voice broke into their conversation.

"Why the fuck am I topless?" Betty asked, and Jughead turned to her to see her sitting up with the blanket pulled around her. He chanced a glance at Veronica and noticed she looked livid. Fucking great. Stepping out of hitting range, Jughead gently addressed Betty.

"You have a fever and we needed to sweat it out. Also, I wouldn't sit up right now. You've got a few broken ribs," Jughead advised softly.

Betty looked surprise as she looked down at her ribs. "Oh. Ow."

Jughead nodded, cautiously easing her back down. At least she didn't put up a fight.

"Lay still and I'll go get Ethel. She's our doctor and she can give you some pain medication and then I'll explain everything," Jughead said, looking at Veronica. Luckily, some of her icy demeanor seemed to thaw out as she stared anxiously at Betty, chewing on her bottom lip.

"B?" Veronica asked gently, making her way to her friend quickly.

"Easy, Ron, I'm alright," Betty whispered, tightening the blanket around her. Jughead assumed she was still fighting off a chill and hurried to go get Ethel. Once both of them were back downstairs, Jughead found Betty breathing deeply as Veronica massaged her shoulders.

"Her ribs aren't good, Jughead," Veronica said quietly, most hints of hostility gone from her voice. He nodded somberly and made his way over to the blonde, crouching down next to her.

"Just breathe, hon," he murmured, placing a gentle hand on her back. "Ethel, we could use those pain killers now."

Ethel hurried to get the medication before adding a glass of water and heading towards Betty.

"Jug, help her sit up but be careful," she said softly, and Jughead nodded as he eased Betty up. His heart wrenched at the gasp of pain issued from her lips and Veronica continued to massage her shoulders, talking quietly to her. Ethel got her to take the pain killers before signaling to Jughead to lay her back down. Betty's eyes fluttered close for a moment as she rested her head back on the pillow.

"Thank you," she murmured, and Jughead nodded.

"You're welcome," he said. He looked back at Ethel and nodded his head towards her apartment, letting her know she could go back to sleep. She hesitated before nodding and disappearing back up the stairs. It was just Jughead and the two women now. He looked at Veronica, then Betty, and sighed.

"I know you two are probably really confused and terrified right now, and that's okay. Just, please trust me when I say Malachi won't find you guys," Jughead said firmly. Veronica looked at him and nodded slowly.

"Alright," she whispered. "But this doesn't mean I want to be around you, either. As soon as she is better, Betty and I are gone."

Jughead was already shaking his head. "That's not a good idea, Veronica. Malachi knows who the Serpents are so probably has a good idea as to who took his victims. You really should stay with us so we can offer you some protection."

Veronica scoffed. "There is no man capable of offering protection."

Jughead hated the fact that Malachi had broken her down so much she viewed all men as evil but knew that was something they were just going to have to help her with. It was Betty who spoke up then.

"V, let's just listen to him for right now. I mean, I can't really go anywhere, and he's right, if we're out there, that it makes it all the more easier for Malachi to find us. At least here we're hidden," she murmured.

Veronica looked down at her, contemplating her response before sighing.

"Alright, we'll do this your way, Jughead. But only because I don't really feel like meeting Malachi's wrath again," she muttered, folding her arms defensively. Jughead exhaled a sigh of relief.

"Thank you," he said gratefully, knowing that was one less battle he had to fight with her on. Betty didn't seem as reluctant to accept his help, which was surprising, considering she fought him hard when he tried to get her out of the house in the first place. Perhaps she just realized the difference it made when she wasn't around Malachi. Either way, Jughead wasn't going to complain; he was grateful to her that she made Veronica see some reason and, even though brunette didn't seem to care to hide her disdain for him, he could handle that as long they were okay.

"Can I get you two anything?" Jughead asked.

"A room?" Veronica asked. "Preferably with a bed. I don't know where you learned your manners from but putting a lady on a table after sedating her isn't the best way to win her over."

Jughead's lips twitched at her response; she reminded him of Jellybean, and he had a sneaking suspicion before it was all said and done, the two of them were going to be an odd pair of friends. He nodded his head.

"Absolutely," he replied. "We've got spare rooms upstairs for you guys."

With that, he picked Betty up once she said he could and carried her up the stairs, Veronica following behind them. Things were about to get interesting.

**Author's note: I had a lot of fun writing sassy Veronica. **


End file.
